


all was golden

by cjmasim



Category: Men's Hockey RPF, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, M/M, Ryden Truth, Time Travel, and my followers voted to have this, i promised to write a fic if the bruins won round 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 12:57:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18917497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmasim/pseuds/cjmasim
Summary: "You can't be serious," Sean says in disbelief."I'm completely serious," Danton counters. "Anders is a genius, bro, don't discount that.""Oh, no, I know. I love Anders," Sean says. "If you told me he'd invented teleportation, I wouldn't even blink. But time travel?"–Or: Danton and Sean travel back in time to discover the Ryden truth – more specifically, what happened in Myrtle Beach, Seattle, and Cape Town.





	all was golden

**Author's Note:**

> This is my playoff sacrifice for round 2... yeah it's a bit late, but I've barely written this year and it took a little while to get back into it. Plus I had to research, and was a bit busy traveling to game 4 of round 3... and even then, I wrote about half of this in one night using the Comic Sans trick. But it's here now! 
> 
> It's inspired by my current tumblr url (on my main blog) which, in case you're coming here from ao3 or the future, is rydentrutherkuraly (inspired by the recurring joke that Sean is a Ryden stan) due to the round 1 sacrifice. It's definitely crack, so don't take it too seriously. And the title, naturally, comes from When the Day Met the Night by who other than Panic! at the Disco. 
> 
> Also, the poem in the beginning is from Ryan Ross' livejournal; it's well–known in Panic fandom, but just in case you weren't aware, it's not mine.
> 
> If you're just a Ryden fan who doesn't know why you clicked on a hockey fic, welcome! I think this will make perfect sense as an outside look at Ryden over the years, so don't worry if you don't know who Danton Heinen is. 
> 
> Warning for mild stalking, but nothing harmful.
> 
> If you or someone you know personally is represented in this fic, it's probably best to turn back now.
> 
> Enjoy!

**May 5, 2019 - Columbus, Ohio**

_  
The moon bred new Atlantic life tonight.the salt burned you right out of my eyes.and secrets we’re not proud of were taken with the tide. We were all newborns with blurred vision and no sense of direction._

  _Today I saw cancer, cigarettes and shortness of breath._

_this is why I walk to the ocean.swim with jellyfish.I may never get this chance again._

_this is why if you want to kiss you should kiss._

_If you want to cry you should cry, and_

_if you want to live you should live._

_You don’t have to love me. You already did. At least enough to keep me smiling from South Carolina to Virginia.it’s for lovers (orjustfriends)_

_This is why I do it._

 

"It's for lovers - or just friends. What does that mean? What do you _think_ it means?"

Danton sighs. "I don't know, Sean, maybe they hooked up but didn't want to date? Or they're too scared to ask each other out?"

"Okay, yes, yes! Obviously!" Sean yells, a little too loudly considering that it's nearly midnight and they have a game tomorrow that their teammates are probably resting for. "But _who_? Who is Ryan too scared to ask out? Who could it possibly be other than Brendon?"

"I don't know," Danton says, not for the first time that night. He's not sure how to feel about the fact that he now associates the name "Ryan" with Ryan Ross rather than Ryan Donato. Sean's always been a Panic! At the Disco fanboy, but his obsession has reached a new level ever since Ryan released a new song in December - the first new song he'd released in years. "Why don't you go to L.A. and ask him?"

"I would if I could," Sean sighs, finally sitting on the bed. Danton is already in his t-shirt and boxers, scrolling through Twitter as he waits for Sean to turn off the light, sing the chorus of "Turn Off the Lights" by Panic! At the Disco, mention that that song was obviously written about Ryan Ross, and get into bed with him. Sean is still fully clothed and pacing the room as he rants about his Ryden theories, as per usual. Danton really wishes he could sleep.

"What if there was a way for you to find out the truth?" Danton suggests.

Sean laughs. "Yeah, sure, maybe if I had a time machine."

Danton shrugs, though it's a bit awkward considering that he's lying down. "What if I found a way to get you a time machine?"

"You in on some government secrets I don't know about?" Sean asks, raising an eyebrow. Danton doesn't respond, and Sean launches right back into a lecture about how the ballerina in "The Overture" is obviously a metaphor for Ryan. Danton's heard this one before, so he pretends to listen while beginning a new text message. If there's anyone who can help him, it's Anders Bjork. Not that Anders has any reason to know how to build a time machine, but he's a man of many talents. If anyone can find a way, it's him.

_Hey Anders, any chance you could get me a time machine asap? Sean has lost his mind and idk how else to get him back to reality_

He sends the text, and the response is almost immediate.

_Bit of a weird request but I got u bro. Good luck in game 6_

-

**May 7, 2019 - Boston, Massachusetts**  

They get home from their series win in Columbus to find a large box sitting on their doorstep. Anders must have sent it overnight - even faster than Danton had anticipated, much like the first time he'd gone to bed with Sean.

"What is this?" Sean asks, finally taking a break from ranting about the parallels between the lyrics of "Bittersweet" and "Cape Town".

"Open it," Danton says, and Sean obliges.

The time machine isn't anything glamorous like in the movies. It's just a tall gray rectangular prism with a series of blue sticky notes and a few buttons on top.

_TIME MACHINE_ is written in hot pink glitter pen on the first sticky note. It's Anders' surprisingly neat handwriting. _Do not try to change the future. It might kill you, or just fuck up the whole world, no one really knows. You've gotta have a precise location and date. No time will pass in the present while you're gone, so don't worry about missing game 1. Any questions, text me. -Bjorkie_  

"You can't be serious," Sean says in disbelief.

"I'm completely serious," Danton counters. "Anders is a genius, bro, don't discount that."

"Oh, no, I know. I love Anders," Sean says. "If you told me he'd invented teleportation, I wouldn't even blink. But time travel?"

"You trust me, right?" Danton asks.

"Of course," Sean says without hesitation, and that's that. "So, uh, where - or _when_ \- are we going?"

"Well…" Danton starts, walking closer to Sean and putting a hand on his waist. "I figured we could go find out the Ryden truth, once and for all."

The look on Sean's face is somewhat familiar, though Danton's only seen it twice before: once when he first asked Sean out, and again that one time when he dreamed about their wedding. It's a mixture of shock, joy, and something that he thinks must be love, and it makes Danton's stomach twist in the best possible way.

"Dan… you - oh my God," he says. "We're really doing this?"

"We really are," Danton smiles, and Sean kisses him. Danton deepens the kiss, but breaks apart after a minute or so. They have work to do. "So, first stop, Myrtle Beach?"

"Oh fuck yeah," Sean says.  
  
Danton starts to set the time machine, but as he enters the time, Sean stops him.

"Actually," he says, and Danton stops to listen. "Can we go a few hours earlier? I wanted to see them on tour in Columbus way back in the day, but my mom said I couldn't go because I was grounded."

Danton laughs. "Why were you grounded?" 

"Oh, you know, the usual," Sean shrugs. "Accidentally hit a baseball into the window."

"Classic," Danton says. "Has every American done that? Well, I guess it'd be kind of cool to go."

He changes the time to 5:00 p.m. to make sure they have time to get tickets and stand in line, presses a button, and brings his and Sean's hands to the machine. There's a flash, and a weird tugging feeling in his gut, and the room disappears.

- 

**June 24, 2006 - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina**

In an instant, they're in a parking lot, surrounded by outdated cars and teenagers with flat-ironed hair, rainbow studded belts, and far too much eyeliner. Danton is reminded of the very private pictures of teenage Sean that his mother had shown him back in March. Some of the teens even have intricate colorful eyeshadow designs covering the entire top half of their face, and Danton is glad Sean educated him on Ryan Ross so at least he knows where the inspiration came from.

"Oh wow," Sean says, looking around. "I feel underdressed. Do we have time to go to Hot Topic?"

Danton makes a face that he's sure would turn into a meme if he were still in 2019. "Do I look like your mom?"

"Well…" Sean laughs. "Nah, I'm just teasing. Let's go get the tickets."

-

The show is a bit awkward at first, given that they're both over six feet tall, dressed like rich white straight dudes, and approximately 10 years older than most of the crowd. At one point, a man - someone's dad, Danton assumes - comes up to them and asks "D'y'all work security here?" in the most southern accent he's ever heard, and they have to politely tell him they don't. The look he gives them is weird enough to send them to the other side of the pit, though the House of Blues is so packed it's hard to get across. Once they make it over, it's almost time for the band to take the stage.

"Holy shit," Sean says to him as the crowd screams. Danton strains to hear him. "I can't believe I'm about to see Ryan Ross!"

"Me too!" The girl standing next to him yells. She has _the_ scene kid haircut, choppy hot pink layers, bangs, excessive flat-ironing and all, and Danton is struck with the realization that this girl is probably their age in the current year. Sean - the one who lives in 2006 and still he thinks he's straight - would probably ask her out.

The lights come on, and the crowd starts screaming. The band walks on, and someone starts playing the piano. Meanwhile, a mime and several scantily clad women begin to dance on stage. Soon, the drums kick in, and finally the whole band joins. "Ladies and gentlemen," the mime yells. Danton recognizes the voice from the live performance in Denver that Sean watches on YouTube every other night. "Tonight we offer you a picturesque score of passing fancy. For your pleasure, at one - Panic! At the Disco!" The crowd screams again, and finally, Brendon Urie walks into the light and begins to sing.

To say the concert is the best he's ever been to would be an understatement. Danton isn't even a real Panic fan - sure, he knows everything about them and more, but that's just because of Sean's inability to shut up, not his own interest. He's never cared about them beyond a few singles and their ability to make Sean happy. This show is unlike anything he's ever seen, though, and it's absolutely incredible. Even better is Sean's reaction to it all - Danton doesn't think he was that happy when he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against the Senators.

"Oh my God," Sean says once they get in the line for merch after the show. They're not entirely sure if it'll be able to travel with them, but Sean insisted on trying. "Holy shit." His voice is rough from all the singing and screaming - not that Danton will ever tell any of their teammates how much Sean screamed. Even if he needed blackmail, it's not like they'd believe him if he said the two of them saw Panic! At the Disco in South Carolina in 2006. Well, except Anders.

"Dream come true?" Danton asks with a smile.

Sean pulls him in for a quick kiss, and Danton wants to scold him for doing that in public, but the smile on his face when they break apart makes him forget how to speak. Besides, even if they are in the south in a different time period, no one here could possibly recognize them. They may as well live a little.

Eventually, they get outside, and Danton starts to walk toward the parking lot just because everyone else is doing it. Sean holds him back, though, saying that he wants to go stand by the buses because he knows the band came out to meet fans after this show. Danton obliges, and after waiting for a while, they finally come out.

Danton knows that Sean's never gotten the chance to meet any of his favorite bands, so he isn't surprised to see his boyfriend practically jumping out of his own skin. The anticipation is real, and the line is longer than he'd expected. Eventually, they make it to the front, and Sean wastes no time in introducing himself to Ryan and then Brendon. Spencer and Jon - at least, Danton thinks those are the other members - are nowhere to be found, but at least Sean's favorites are there.

"-and this is my boyfriend, Danton," Sean says, and Danton steps forward to shake their hands. A lot of the kids meeting Brendon and Ryan had hugged the band members, but Danton certainly isn't going to do that. Sean hadn't either; though Danton is sure he'd wanted to, it would be a bit awkward considering that they're 19-year-olds who look like twinks and Sean is a 26-year-old hockey player who they've never met before.

Sean tells them that he'd been wanting to see them for what feels like years, and the conversation carries on from there. Danton's heart flutters watching him build a genuine connection with the band he's been wanting to meet for so long, and he stays quiet, letting Sean enjoy the moment. He says goodbye after what can't be more than two minutes, since there are still several people in line, and they walk off.

They keep walking through the parking lot, and Danton stays quiet, waiting for Sean to speak.

"Holy fuck," Sean says. "Shit. Fuck. Oh my God. I can't believe that just happened."

Danton smiles and grabs his hand, holding it as they continue to walk.

"I can't believe - I - oh my fuck. Fuck. Holy fuck," he continues like this for a moment before regaining his composure. "Okay, so - am I dreaming? Like, did I really just tell Ryan I think his guitar work and lyricism and vocals are incredibly underrated and impressive and - and make him smile? And did I really tell them I couldn't go to my local date since I was grounded and made Brendon laugh? _The_ Brendon Urie?"

Danton laughs. "Yes, yes you did," he says. "But you know saying you were grounded just sounded like a joke, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sean shrugs it off. "Anyway, that was fun, but it didn't really help our mission."

"We have to go to the beach, don't we?"

Sean grins. "See, you've learned well."

-

Waiting at the beach could be a lot worse, Danton supposes. It could be chilly outside, or it could be daytime and filled with tourists. Really, walking barefoot on the sand with Sean's hand in his is far from a burden. Danton wouldn't mind getting a hotel and settling down for the night, or at least enjoying each other's company instead of searching for Ryden, but of course, that isn't what they came here to do. Danton isn't entirely convinced they're going to find who they're looking for, considering that the beach is several miles long and it's not like they know which hotel the band might be staying at, but Sean is confident that it'll work out.

"You think we'll have time to come back here after game 3?" Sean asks, glancing over to look at Danton.

He shrugs. "Maybe if we use Anders' machine again. Or we could just go to any beach in the offseason, you know. Like, you know we could just go to Bora Bora or something, right?" Really, Myrtle Beach is pretty nice, but there are far better beaches out there. He knows Sean hasn't seen very many of them, but there's plenty of time to change that.

"Well, let's do it," Sean says. "I want to spend time with you and see cool places, so why not?"

Danton thinks it must be another hour of walking before they finally come across the band and crew. There are at least a dozen people there, all skinny dipping and yelling. They keep their distance, not wanting to alert anyone - especially Ryan and Brendon - to their presence, but they keep a watchful eye. 

The party goes on for a long time, and they're too far away to really tell, but Danton thinks some of them are on something stronger than beer or weed. Eventually, they start to break off, much to his delight. Spying on a bunch of band members and dancers gets boring after a while, especially in a pre-Netflix world, and he'd really like to just cuddle with Sean and watch _Stepbrothers_ again.

Finally, there are only two people left. Sean's eyes are locked on them, and Danton keeps a hand on his shoulder to remind him not to go any closer.

"It's them," he whispers, confirming Danton's suspicions.

"Can we leave, then?" Danton whispers back. If Ryan and Brendon have stayed behind, apart from the rest of the group - well, given what supposedly happens that night, Danton doesn't want to _watch_.

Sean crawls across the sand, motioning for Danton to follow, and once they're out of sight, they get up and begin to walk normally.

"So, my OTP is fucking right down the beach from us right now," Sean says casually.

Danton isn't quite sure how to respond, so he just changes the subject. "We don't really have to get back to the parking lot, you know. I have the time machine - a shrunken version, that is - in my pocket."

"Cool," Sean says. "You sure you don't want to get some food?"

Danton shrugs. "Why not?"

They end up at a sports bar, only because nothing else is open. Normally, they'd avoid them, being NHL players and all, but here, there's no real reason to. No Bruins fan would recognize them; they haven't even been drafted yet. Actually, Danton thinks the 2006 draft might have been today, in which case Marchy would've just been drafted himself. It's strange to think that they're in a time in which even Big Z has yet to play a single game for the team, but such is life. Regardless, there isn't any hockey memorabilia in this bar, and even if they were recognized, it would just be someone mistaking Danton for Mikey Way. Danton may not know much about the south, but he knows that South Carolina is not a place where people care about hockey, even if the Hurricanes did win the cup a few weeks ago.

The food is good, and it's nice to be able to just go on a date in public. By the time they finish, the place is about to close, and they don't have a place to stay for the night.

"Onto New York," Sean says, and Danton thinks he might be trying to do a Bill Belichick impression, so he pretends to laugh. He gets out the time machine, puts in the right settings, and the world starts spinning again.

-

**August 30, 2007 - New York, New York**

They get to the club in New York - Danton doesn't ask how Sean knows exactly where to go - and nothing happens. Well, they talk to the bouncer and get denied entry, and that's it.

"So we'll just wait outside," Sean says. "Really, Dan, it's fine. Brendon isn't even at this party. Nothing's going to happen until afterwards."

"You sure?" Danton asks. "I could use the machine to get us inside, maybe-"

"No, no," Sean says. "We've just gotta keep an eye on the door and when Ryan comes out, we have to follow him."

"How? We don't have a car?"

"Uh," Sean says. "A cab?"

Danton knows it isn't going to be that easy to hail a cab, despite how it looks in movies, and it'll be even harder to convince the driver to just follow another cab. Regardless, he goes along with Sean's plan. When it doesn't work out, they can just use the time machine to get there.

They wait outside for what feels like hours but is really only thirty minutes before the bouncer tells them to get lost. Sean tries to argue, but Danton pulls him down the street until they're out of sight. 

"We really don't need to fight that guy," Danton says.

"But why not? We can't get arrested. We don't technically exist here," Sean says.

"Yeah, and when he breaks your nose, you're the one who's going to have to tell Bruce why you need the fish bowl again," Danton says. Sean opens his mouth, but Danton cuts him off before he can speak. "And do _not_ try to tell me that fighting that guy will help the team." Sean closes his mouth. "We need you healthy."

" _We_ do, or _you_ do?" Sean smirks. 

"Shut up," Danton says, blushing. "We'll just circle around a few times until Ryan comes out."

"Why don't we find a place where we can see the exit but the bouncer can't?" Sean suggests.

"Fine," Danton says. "If you can find a place, we'll do that."

They walk around the block, heading back toward the club, and Sean finds a bench near a bus stop that will allow them to see the sidewalk in front of the club. It's not as good as seeing the door, but it's good enough that they'll know. They sit down, Danton resting his shoulder on Sean's, and take in the city.

It's a beautiful night. It's warm, but not too warm for August, and not humid. The perfect night for a date, Danton thinks - maybe they'll have to come back here sometime. If Anders lets them keep the time machine, there's really no reason why they can't use it to go on dates in public as often as they want.

"Do you think he's left yet?" Sean asks. Danton shrugs. "See, the thing is, this party really wasn't very well put together…" Sean continues to tell him everything that supposedly happens tonight, and Danton doesn't bother listening. He knows that Ryan's girlfriend – _alleged_ girlfriend, Sean would jokingly correct him - is throwing this surprise birthday party for him, and he knows that she didn’t bother to invite Brendon. The band has a commitment in Seattle tomorrow, or maybe the day after, and Ryan flies out as soon as he leaves the party to go be with Brendon. Sean always likes to emphasize the fact that Ryan didn't even bother to change his clothes first. He thinks it's proof that Ryan just wanted to see Brendon; Danton thinks it's proof that Ryan is a 21-year-old guy.

"Hey, you see that?" Danton interrupts. Sean turns his head, and sure enough, Ryan is standing on the sidewalk, getting into a cab. There isn't another cab nearby - no way they'll be able to follow him. 

"Fuck," Sean hisses. "What do we do?"

Danton shrugs and pulls out the time machine, setting the location to JFK airport and hoping it's the right one. He takes Sean's hand, and in an instant, they're at the entrance.

"How did you know to come here?" Sean asks. 

"I didn't," Danton says, dragging him inside until he finds a screen listing all the departures. Sure enough, there's a United flight to Seattle leaving in an hour - they must be in the right place. 

"There could be one leaving from one of the other airports, though," Sean says.

"If we don't see him, we'll just go back," Danton says. "It's really not that hard."

 Sean tries to protest again, and Danton really doesn't even know how he's going to argue this one, but a cab pulls up and out steps Ryan Ross himself.

"Oh fuck," Sean says, pulling Danton aside and walking briskly until they're out of sight.

Ryan walks into the airport, no luggage with him, and goes to the security line. They watch him go through security, which Danton thinks is more than a little weird, and he's sure the security guards think the same thing.

"Okay," Sean sighs. "So maybe we didn't find anything here. I was hoping we could sneak into the club, but no luck there."

"It's fine," Danton says. "At least you got confirmation that he did fly out as quickly as you'd thought."

He readies the time machine, and they're off. 

-

**August 31, 2007 - Seattle, Washington**

It's strange being so close to home. Danton didn't go to Seattle much as a kid - his parents never felt it was worth all the hassle with passports - but the city is familiar, and after so much time on the east coast, it's nice. He could almost go home to see his family, except that it's 2007 and he's an adult so he really, really can't.

"How do you know Brendon's going to be here?"

"I spoke to the girl who met them here, and she said they arrived at the hotel from the same cab," Sean answers. "So, the only logical conclusion is that Brendon must've met Ryan at the airport."

Danton feels awkward waiting in the small crowd, especially once Brendon arrives. Sean doesn't say anything, but he nudges Danton to show that he's noticed and is simply trying to play it cool. He's sweating a little bit, so he's not really doing a good job, but Brendon probably won't notice. They keep watching the people filing in, and eventually, the screen shows that the flight from New York has landed.

"There he is," Sean whispers as if Danton can't tell that the twink wearing a headband and brown suede vest over a red striped button-down is Ryan Ross. He walks right up to Brendon, and they hug. It lasts a few seconds longer than Danton thinks it would if they were straight and just friends, and Ryan definitely kisses Brendon on the cheek. When they break apart, Danton looks at Sean, whose face makes it blatantly obvious that he's freaking out.

"Hey, you see that? The flight from Chicago is just getting in. Uh, John will be here any minute, so we'll be able to leave soon," Danton says in an attempt to distract Sean.

"What the fuck Dan," Sean whispers. "You saw that? That really-"

"Dude, yeah, I know we've been here a while," Danton says loudly. "But seriously, John is almost here. I know you're tired, but we can go home soon."

Sean doesn’t say anything, and Danton assumes he's caught on. He looks over his shoulder to see that Ryan and Brendon are heading toward the exit.

"Can you act normal?"

Sean nods, so Danton takes his hand and leads him out of the airport. They stay a few feet behind Ryan and Brendon, not wanting them to notice that they're being followed, and they make it out of the airport to see that they're about to get a cab.

Unfortunately, Ryan turns around. Danton looks away, pretending to be interested in the sign written in Chinese on the side of the building, but Ryan walks up to them. He squeezes Sean's hand and hopes that he gets the message of "I'll handle this". 

"Are you following us?" Ryan asks.

"Uh," Danton says, looking at Sean. "No?"

"You sure?" Ryan looks them over. "You just look familiar."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Danton says. "We're just leaving, and, uh, you know, this is where the exit is."

"So you don't know who we are?" Ryan asks.

"Should I?" Danton says, and the relief on Ryan's face makes him acutely aware that this is the best acting he's ever pulled off in his life.

"No, sorry, just - thought you were someone else, I guess. Bad ex or whatever," Ryan says. It's a lie, but Danton's in no position to call him out on it. "Uh, goodnight."

"Yeah, you too," Danton says, though Ryan's already turned around and probably doesn't hear him.

"Holy shit dude," Sean says. "You handled that so well, but - oh my God."

"Yeah," Danton says. "We've seen enough, right?"

"We can't skip Cape Town," Sean says. "We'll just have to be careful."

-

**April 13, 2009 - Cape Town, South Africa**

Danton's been on a lot of family vacations in a lot of different places, but he's never been to Africa. It's not really what he expected, but then again, he knows that it's a pretty big continent, and they're in one of the largest cities.

Sean never got to see Panic in concert during the Ryan Ross era before they got a time machine, so Danton agrees to go to this one last concert with him. It's quite literally the last, given that it's the last they'll play before Ryan and the other guy's departure. Danton thinks it's Jon who leaves, but he's not entirely sure and he isn't going to risk asking.

"So are we going to get to see a huge fight or something?" Danton asks while they wait in line.

Sean sighs. "Dan, I've told you multiple times that they don't actually break up in Cape Town. Ryden is already over by this point, I'm pretty sure, and Ryan's trying to marry some random girl he met like two days ago. They don't actually break up the band for another three months. I mean, I told you it was the day after your birthday that they announced it."

"Okay, okay," Danton says.

"Why would you of all people want to see a fight anyway?" Sean asks.

It's a fair question, really. "I never said I _wanted_ to," Danton says. "I just… think it could be interesting." 

"Interesting, huh?" Sean laughs. "Yeah, okay. Just admit that you thought it was hot when I fought last year."

"Maybe if you'd won it would've been," Danton teases. "Gonna have to prove that you can fight some other day."

They keep joking around for a while, and eventually, they get into the venue. A few openers later, it's time. Danton looks at Sean, seeing that he looks conflicted. He nods, and Sean nods back. He knows what Sean wants to say - that it's the last time this lineup will play for more than a decade, if not forever - but he can't, not in a crowd where anyone could hear him.

It's a great show. They've matured a lot since Myrtle Beach, Danton can tell, and they've improved a lot as musicians. They don't seem to have as much stage presence, though, and Danton wonders whether it's because they don't have a whole circus troupe on stage or because they're about to break up. He likes these songs better, though - has always preferred _Pretty. Odd._ to their first album. Sean's a lot more divided, but tends to lean slightly more toward _A Fever You Can't Sweat Out_ simply because the music is more his style. Regardless, Danton can now use the fact that he cried during "Northern Downpour" against him for the rest of their lives. 

"So that's it," Sean says as they leave the venue. "It's really over."

To an outsider, he could be talking about the show. It's not like the band comes to South Africa often; it would be reasonable to be very upset about the show ending. Of course, Danton knows that isn't what he means.

"We gonna try to find them?"

"Of course," Sean says.

They wait around the venue for a while, and eventually, they see the band hanging out near the bus. Ryan and Brendon are several feet away from each other, each with one other member of the band. Danton is pretty sure Ryan is with Jon and Brendon is with Spencer, but it's hard to tell from this distance, and he's not completely sure he can tell Jon and Spencer apart in the first place.

"Fuck, they really have broken up already," Sean says. "Should we approach them?"

Danton raises an eyebrow. "There aren't any fans there, Sean." 

"Yeah, yeah," Sean says. "I just… well. You know." 

"I know," Danton says. He knows Sean would like the chance to meet them one more time, but if Ryan recognized them, it would be more trouble than it's worth. Besides, he got to meet them in Myrtle Beach.

Because luck is really not on their side today, Ryan spots them watching the band and comes over.

"Should we run?" Sean whispers, but they don't.

"You guys are following us, aren't you?"

"Uh, no," Danton says, but this time, Ryan doesn't believe him.

"We saw you in Seattle, right? And somewhere before that? And now you're in fucking Africa speaking with an American accent and you expect me to believe you're not a stalker?" Ryan sounds mad, and Danton is a lot more worried than the situation really calls for, considering that they have a time machine and can easily escape. Well, maybe getting out of the venue wouldn't be easy - fuck, what if they get arrested?

"Okay, he has a _Canadian_ accent, thank you very much," Sean says. Danton isn't sure whether to be grateful that he doesn't have to lead the conversation or afraid of what Sean's going to say, especially since that's what he'd chosen to lead with. "And fine, maybe we are following you around. But you don't have to worry about anything. We're time travelers, dude. Obviously. And we're going back to our time soon."

Danton is about ready to start panicking - if anything, it might diffuse the situation - when Ryan starts laughing.

"That's a good one, man," he laughs. "Really, I've never heard that before."

"Hey, your loss if you don't believe me," Sean says. He catches Danton's eye and raises an eyebrow for a second. Danton isn't sure whether he's trying to ask if he's okay or reassure him that this was his plan, but regardless, he feels better. 

"Whatever, man," Ryan says. "Just - if I see you following us again, I'm calling the police, okay?" 

"Okay, I promise it won't be an issue," Danton says and pulls Sean away before he gets the chance to speak.

"Man, doesn't he know that all cops are bastards?" Sean says.

"Come on, did you know that in 2009?" Danton asks.

Sean shrugs. "I guess we should go back now, huh?"

"Yeah," Danton says. "But we know enough, right?"

"Oh, definitely," Sean says. "They fucked in Myrtle Beach, were definitely doing some kind of romance in Seattle, and broke up sometime before Cape Town. It's not a complete story, but I'd have to talk to one of them to get that."

"More like both of them," Danton says.

"Fair enough. But hey, let's go back now."

Danton gets out the time machine, sets it back to the present, and in a flash, they're gone.

-

**May 7, 2019 - Boston, Massachusetts**

The world is just as they left it. They're still about to take on the Hurricanes in round three of the playoffs, Brendon is still pretending Panic! at the Disco is a band, Ryan is still living in a cabin in the woods with Tim Thomas as far as they know, and the world is still turning. The only difference between the past and the present is that now they know the Ryden truth.

"So, what now?" Danton asks.

Sean shrugs. "We have practice tomorrow, so we get ready for bed." He turns on some music, and Danton recognizes it as One Direction.

"No Panic?"

"Nah," Sean shakes his head. "I guess the mystique has kind of worn off. But hey, we still need to go see a Young Veins show someday."

Danton's heard all about Ryan's new band that never took off, and he has to admit he's curious. "Alright," he agrees. "As long as Anders lets us keep the time machine."

"So ask him!" Sean insists, and Danton does.

_Hey, can we keep the time machine? It worked btw, I'll tell you all about it in person someday_.

"Now we wait," Danton says. Sean comes over and kisses him, though it's interrupted by a text from Anders.

_Yeah man ofc, just use it wisely ;)_

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come talk to and/or follow me on [tumblr](http://www.cjmasim.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Kudos and comments always appreciated <3


End file.
